The world is ever changing and has been that way even before humans dominated Earth. However, what we are interested in for this topic is in the last few decades where globalization has had an impact in the early 21st century, making the world “flat”. The phrase that the world has become flat is a metaphor for viewing the world level in terms of commerce and competition, meaning a level playing field where everyone has an equal opportunity. However, opinions are divided on how much globalization has actually impacted the world as a whole. Critics argue that Friedman’s term “flat” is grossly exaggerated as his view is from an American perspective. This paper investigates major arguments for both sides.

Arguments supporting the “flat world theory” come mainly from Friedman. His argument rests on the assumption of ten flatteners and a triple convergence. Friedman says that the power of new information technology has helped bring the world closer together and has made it more interconnected and interdependent (Friedman, 2005). More people now have access to this technological platform for education, innovation and entrepreneurship (Friedman, 2005). However, Florida (2005, p.51) argues that this flat playing field mainly affects the advanced countries, which see not only manufacturing work but also higher-end jobs. Other developing or undeveloped countries simply do not have the luxury of this connection and are left out of this technological platform. Florida (2005, p.51) contends that “...there are more insidious tensions among the world’s growing peaks, sinking valleys, and shifting hills”. This inequality is growing across the world and within countries.

Friedman also talks about the ten flatteners such as workflow software, open sourcing, outsourcing, offshoring and supply chaining. Friedman (2005, p.35) claims that “these flatteners created the platform for collaboration that flattened the world even more”. This global collaboration boasts the increase...

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..._1.2 _Aim {text:bookmark-end}
It will be argued that the world is getting flatter and this is not necessarily a good thing for many reasons. Information technology (ICT) has resulted in economic and social integration but precaution must be taken to prevent future problems that has already arose from it not being used correctly. The history of the ‘’flattening’’ of the world, the impact that it has made in theyears, the challenges the world will face and main disadvantages of it will prove that it will not be good if some changes are not made.
{text:bookmark-start} _1.3 _Scope {text:bookmark-end}
Argument agreeing with statement ‘’the world is getting flatter and this not necessarily a good thing’’.
Reasons for world getting ‘’flatter’’.
Impact of ICT on the world.
Factors of globalization and other areas.
Possible solutions based on Thomas Friedman’s book.
{text:bookmark-start} 2. THE WORLD IS GETTING FLATTER, AND THAT IS NOT NECESSARILY A GOOD THING {text:bookmark-end}
{text:bookmark-start} 2.1 Information Communication Technology {text:bookmark-end}
The advent of ICT (such as E-commerce) has made the world get closer, globalization has occurred as a result of this. The world getting ‘flatter’...

...please adhere to the word count guidelines.
UNIT
BIG IDEA
ARTEFACT
#1: Diversity
Human activities affect the diversity of living things in ecosystems
Choose a recent newspaper article (within the past 3 years) that shows how humans impact the diversity of ecosystems. Summarize the article in 300 words and explain why you chose your article (be sure to include the original article as well).
#2: Plants
Evaluate the importance of the sustainable use of plants to Canadian society and other cultures
Answer one of the following questions, by conducting research. Your response should not be longer than 250 words and you should provide appropriate evidence (by citing credible references):
How does the local food movement contribute to community development?
How does the re-introduction of native plant species along river banks help to prevent land erosion?
What plant species are considered important in sustaining Canada’s growth in the agricultural sector?
How are plants being used to clean wastewater from fish farms so that the water can go back into local streams?
#3: Animals
The development and uses of technology to maintain human health, are based in part , in the changing needs of society
Choose a technology (advances in dietary products, advances in fitness equipment, advances in transplant technology, advances in diagnostic equipment, etc.). Create a timeline showing how that technology...

...﻿ Thomas Friedman’s idea that the world is flattening is based on recent observations that the global economic “playing field” is becoming increasingly easier to enter and to compete in. Friedman notes ten events that have played a significant role in this phenomenon.
Friedman noted some very interesting events that helped lead to the flattening of the world, such as outsourcing, offshoring, supply chaining and “insourcing”. The two events of Friedman’s ten that I found to be most interesting were as follows:
8/9/95 – Netscape went public. Netscape released the first browser for public use and set up open transmission protocols so no company could dominate the Internet. This helped contribute to the dotcom boom in which the US accidentally overinvested $1 trillion over five years running fiber optic cable between countries and continents. The Internet drove down the cost of data transmission that helped level the playing field for all countries. This not only gave other countries access to new markets at little to no cost, they also were not responsible for the cost of the initial installation. This certainly did a lot to level the playing field for developing countries.
Open Sourcing was also an interesting movement that Friedman discussed. Open source applications have made development and information exchange much more accessible to consumers and businesses. Sites such as...

...﻿„The Triple Convergence”
I. Summary/Synopsis
Thomas L.Friedman, The World is Flat: a brief history of the twenty-first century. Published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007.
Friedman discusses the "triple convergence." The convergence of the ten flatteners had created a whole new platform. It is a global, Web-enabled platform for multiple forms of collaboration. This platform enables individuals, groups, companies, and universities anywhere in theworld to collaborate - for the purposes of innovation, production, education, research, entertainment, and, alas, war-making - like no creative platform ever before. This platform now operates without regard to geography, distance, time, and, in the near future, even language. Going forward, this platform is going to be at the center of everything.
The first „convergence” was that of the flatteners, which provided a new playing field for doing business.
The second „convergence” is the merger of the new playing field with new ways of doing business. Friedman points out that a new platform for doing business, such as the emergence of computers in the workplace, is not enough to increase productivity.
The third „convergence” was the emergence of several billion people in the playing field. Friedman points out that closed economies, like Russia and China, opened up at almost the exact moment that the flatteners emerged, which allows billions of people to compete and collaborate for the...

...Is the world really flat?
In view of Thomas Friedman’s work “It’s a flatworld, after all”, the entire planet is turning into a global village due to a rapid growth of information technology. There are 10 major contributors, which were also named “flateners” by Friedman, that made the playing field level. Undoubtedly, current sophistication in technology has provided us great access to internet, a virtual platform where people are capable of communicating, sharing knowledge, or performing online activities. Globalization appears to have collapsed the concerns of space and time by outsourcing cheap labor from another continent to undertake the same task but with equal or better performance. To some extent, Friedman has brought about an assumption of “flatworld”. However, such hypotheses have been debated by a number of scholars. This essay will focus on the weaknesses existing in this article. As a matter of fact, the “flatworld” theory is based upon a viewpoint from developed countries. In this regard, it would be too subjective to be applicable in every corner of the world.
First of all, the article misinterprets the concept between flatness and fairness. Telecommunication, one of the typical drivers of globalization, has improvedproximity by connecting individuals from different places thus a video...

...The phrase: "the world is flat" can be interpreted in many ways. Basically what Friedman means by "flat" is "linked." The falling of trade and political barriers and technical advances have made it possible to do business, instantaneously with billions of other people around the world. It has allowed for parts of the world, which had previously been cut off, like China and India, to successfully compete in the world market. Thus, the playing field is being leveled, and no one nation has an advantage. Friedman could also refer to a "flatworld" in a metaphorical sense. In a spherical earth you cannot see around the world and cannot recognize the opportunities far from where you live. If the world were flat you could see it all. There would be no barriers to get in your way. This is the equivalent to a smaller globe which allows one to reach far away opportunities.
The three Globalizations contrast in many ways. Globalization 1.0, lasting from 1492 to about 1800, was about countries and muscles. Its force driving the process of global flattening was the amount of "muscle" your country had. The key agent of change in Globalization 2.0, which lasted from 1800 to 2000, was the power of multinational companies, which went global for markets and labor. Globalization 3.0,...

...﻿Kassandra Chang
8/21/14
Period 1
APHG Summer Writing assignment
The World is Flat
By: Thomas L. Friedman
1. What is it about the flatworld that both excites Friedman and fills him with dread?
Friedman gets excited because the flattening of the world means that we as people who inhabit Earth are collecting all of our knowledge and putting it together into this worldwide network. By doing this we would start to emerge ourselves in an era of prosperity, innovation, and collaboration, by company’s communities, and individuals. Friedman states that is if terrorism and politics do not get in the way. The flattening of the world also fills him with dread both on a personal and professional level. On a more personal level it fills him with dread because with this flatworld it not only opens up the playing field for the “software writers and computer geeks” to connect with each other in the workplace, but also opens up opportunities for the AL-Qaeda and many terrorist networks. Everything is being leveled to where anyone can very easily become empowered.
2. What does Friedman mean by Globalization 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0?
In the book Friedman talks about how he means that these three numbers are the specific eras in time that globalization was prevalent. Globalization 1.0 (1492 when Columbus set sail, opening trade...

...Critically evaluate the ‘World is Flat’ thesis put forward by Thomas Friedman.
Thomas Friedman in his recent book ‘The world is flat’ discusses a short history of globalisation in the twenty-first century. His discovering journey took him around the world to investigate the new concept in transnational business. He views himself as Columbus-like, but in a new modern word, in which he is searching for the sources of today’s wealth. Only to come to a rhetorical conclusion that the world is “flat” not round!
His book, ‘The world is flat’ has been a subject to much criticism. His work was highly criticizes by Aronica and Ramdoo, (2006) in their book ‘The World is Flat? A Critical Analysis of Thomas Friedman’s New York Times Bestseller’. They point to the fact that Friedman does not use a single table or data footnote in his book. Friedman makes arguments by assertion, based on not documented facts, but makes his assumption based on stories from his journey around the world, visiting few places, and selected CEOs he visits on his journey.(Aronica &amp; Ramdoo, 2006)
Friedman in a research for his book visits India, where Nandan, the CEO of Infosys explains to him that; “the playing field is being leveled” causing Friedman to conclude that the world...

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